Saint of the day and Feast days.

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Let us als remember today
Saint Tarachus
Among many other Saints

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Saint Tarachus
Saint Tarachus was born about 239 and was at one time an officer in the Roman army.
In the year 304, Tarachus, Probius and Andronicus,differing in age and nationality were united in the bond of faith.
Tarachus was a native of Cladiopolis in Isaria.
Probus was a Roman citizen from Pamphylia (modern Turkey), and Andronicus was a young man from a prominent family of Ephesus.
The three were denounced as Christians to Numerian, the Governor of Cilicia.
They were arrested, and taken to Tarsus, where they were tried and cruelly tortured on three different occasions at various cities including, Tarsus and Anazarbus.
They were then condemned to death by wild beasts but when the animals would not touch them in the amphitheatre, they were put to death by the sword.
All this occurred during the persecution of Christians by the Emperor Dioclatian..
Saint Tarachus and Companions
Pray for us

[Shin]

St. Tarachus and companions pray for us!

Yes sometimes the animals refused! That happened more than once.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

[odhiambo]

St. Tarachus and companions pray for us!

Yes sometimes the animals refused!

Yes, at times the animals are the ones that are humane.

[odhiambo]

October 12

Today We remember
Blessed Jeanne Leber
Among many other Saints

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Blessed Jeanne Leber
Jeanne was born in January 1662 in Montreal, Canada. She was the only daughter of a young immigrant couple from Normandy, France. Through baptism, she became the godchild of two important people of the city: Monsieur de Maisonneuve and mademoiselle Jeanne Mance, the one who built the city’s first hospital. Jeanne was sent by her parents to be educated in Quebec City by Ursuline nuns.
From very early on Jeanne spent a lot of time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. She was a charming and gentle girl, prone to “talking to angels”. One Christmas season she asked to play the role of the infant Jesus in the Christmas School Play. This surprised others and they wanted to know why. Her answer;” The Divine Child does not say a word and does not move and I would like to imitate Him in all things!”
At the age of fifteen, Jeanne returned to Montreal. Two years later, aged seventeen, she made the vow of  perpetual virginity which was ratified by a priest.
Jeanne had always wanted to imitate Catherine of Siena. She turned down the offer of a brilliant marriage. All she wanted was to make herself a recluse in her father’s house, her words, “I must die to the world. Long live Jesus.” Once her parents had consented, her confessor also felt he could not oppose her pious intention. It was only after her mother died that Jeanne was finally lodged as a recluse in a house of the congregation of Notre Dame. She was lodged very close to the Tabernacle, the source of her hope and strength.
She observed very strict poverty in everything. For food, she often limited herself to bread and water; if she ate at all, then the amount was hardly enough to sustain life. Most of her time, day and night was spent in prayer, spiritual readings and handiwork sewing or knitting for the poor.
In 1714, Jeanne fell ill with a chest infection which left her weak. She was left with a persistent cough which worsened, ending in her death on 3rd October 1714 at the age of 52 years.
Blessed Jeanne Leber
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

Let us also remember today
Saint Wilfrid
Archbishop of York
Wilfrid was born about the year 634. His parents were Christians. At the time of his birth, a brightly burning torch was reportedly seen over his father’s house. His Father was a Northumbrian nobleman He was brought up by the Celtic monk at Lindistarne where he studied. He also studied at Canterbury. After his education he travelled to Rome in 654 with Saint Benedict Biscop.
In Rome, he was the student of Boniface, an archdeacon to the Pope.
He returned home to England and built a monastery at Stamford, altering another monastery at Ripon to a strictly Roman Monastery under the rule of Saint Benedict. There, he was ordained  priest. He was also elected Abbot of Ripon. After serving for five years as abbot, he was consecrated bishop.
In 669, Winfrid became the Bishop of York.
He died on October 12th709 and was buried in this monastery.
His relics were later transferred to the Cathedral of Canterbury in the year 959.
Saint Wilfrid
Pray for us!

[Patricia]

Blessed Jeanne Leber, Saint Wilfred , pray for us!

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October 13

Today we remember
Saint Edward III
Among many other Saints

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Saint EdwardIII
King of England.
“1001-1066”
Edward was born at Islip, near Oxford, England. His father was King Ethelred and his mother was Emma of Normandy.
Edward lived most of his youth in Normandy, at the court of his uncle, Duke Richard the Good, his mother’s brother. England at this time was under the control of the Danes.
In 1042, Edward became king of England, receiving his crown at Canterbury
As king, he devoted his efforts to the completion of construction of Westminster abbey, to hunting and to prayers. He was considered a just, holy and fair king, much loved by his English subjects, H e was fondly known as “good King Edward”
His reign of twenty four years was mostly peaceful except for one war he successfully fought to reinstate Malcolm king of Scotland.
The country grew prosperous under his rule.
King Edward was said to have had a special devotion the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Following is a quotation relating to a miracle which occurred concerning this special devotion. The quotation is taken from the Magnificant account of the saint .

“He had a particular devotion to the holy Apostles Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist, and had made a promise never to refuse alms asked in the name of the latter. One day when he had no money with him, a poor man reached out his hand in the name of the Apostle, and the king gave him a valuable ring he was wearing. Some time later, Saint John appeared to two pilgrims returning from the Holy Land. He gave them a ring and said: “Take it to the king; he gave it to me one day when I asked for alms in the habit of a pilgrim. Tell him that in six months I will visit him and take him with me, to follow the unblemished Lamb.” The King received it from them after hearing their relation of this incident, and broke into tears. And Edward did indeed die six months later, on January 5, 1066. Many miracles occurred at his tomb. In 1102 his body was exhumed and found intact and flexible, with its habits perfectly preserved also, appearing to be new. He was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III.”

Saint Edward,
Pray for us!

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14th October

Today is the Memorial of
Pope Saint Callistus I
Among many other Saints

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Saint Callistus I
Martyr
Pope
Saint Callistus was born in Trastevere region of Rome. He was the son of Domitius. He was a slave in the imperial Roman household but was freed by his master Carpophorus.
He was put in charge of the bank by his master but unfortunately he lost all the money. He then fled to Porto. He was caught and served time for awhile but his creditors arranged to have him released so that he could recover the money he had lost. It was not long before he was rearrested, this time for fighting in the local Jewish synagogue. He was condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia.
After his release, Callistus was made a deacon of the Church in 199. He was also made the superintendent of the public, Christian Cemetery on the Appian Way. This site is called the cemetery of St. Callistus to this day.
Serving the local community, Callistus became a friend and adviser to Pope St. Zephyrinus. When Zephyrinus died, Callistus was elected his successor by a majority vote of the clergy and laity of Rome.
There was however, strong vocal opposition from the losing candidate, Saint Hippolytus. For many years to follow, Hippolytus continued to attack the Pope, making him the first antipope in the history of the Church. The schism lasted about 18 years before Hippolytus was reconciled to the Church.
Callistus was martyred during a local disturbance in Trastevere, Rome. He is the first pope (except for Saint Peter) to be commemorated as a martyr.
Saint Callistus I
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

15th October.

Today is theMemorial of
Saint Teresa of the Avila
Doctor of the Church.

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Saint Teresa of Avila
Discalced Carmelite Mystic
Foundress.
Doctor of the Church.

Saint Teresa is one of the greatest , most widely appreciated women the world has ever known, and to whom the title “Doctor of the Church” is given.
She was born in Avila, in Castile, Spain on 28th March 1515. She was baptized Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada. She was the daughter of Alfonso ( Alonso from other sources) Sanchez de Capeda and his second wife, Beatrice Davila y Ahumada. The couple had nine children.
Teresa was educated by Augustinian nuns until 1532 when she returned home because of ill health.
When Teresa was fourteen years old, her mother died. In her sorrow and distress, she knelt before the image of the Blessed Virgin in a nearby Chapel and implored her to be a mother to her. Teresa relates that in all her trials, she was always helped whenever she called upon the Virgin Mother.
When she was about twenty years old, Teresa went to the convent of the Incarnation of the Carmelite nuns just outside Avila. She asked to join the Order.
She was taken and one year later she took her vows.
At some point in her life, Teresa became distracted from her pursuit of holiness. She began to neglect mental prayers and meditations.
After the death of her father, she surrendered her self wholly to God. She persevered in prayers and good works. God rewarded her with visions, ecstacies and extraordinary graces. She had as her advisers Saint Peter of Alcantara, Saint Francis Borgia and Dominic Banez.

In 1558, Teresa was convinced of the need to bring reforms to the Carmelite Order and return it to its original austerity. She proposed to adapt a religious life of prayers, penance and work. She got permission from Pope Pius IV(r 1559-1565) to open a convent for Carmelite reform.
The first of these reformed convents that Teresa founded was Saint Joseph’s Convent in Avila in 1563. The convent was not to be endowed, but would exist entirely through charitable donations
In 1567, Teresa sought permission from the Prior General of the Carmelite Order, John Baptist Rossi, to found more convents. Permission was granted and Teresa founded sixteen other convents, earning her the nickname “the roving nun” because of her travels.
Teresa met Saint John of the Cross, another Carmelite seeking reforms, at Medino del Campo, the site of her second convent. She founded a monastery for men at Duruelo in 1568, turning over the task of future reformed monasteries to Saint John of the Cross
There was opposition to her reforms among the Calced Carmelites, the members of the original order. In 1580, Pope Gregory XIII (r 1572-1585), at the request of King Philip II of Spain, recognized the Discalced Reformed Carmelite as a separate province of the Order.

Under obedience to her superiors, Teresa wrote her life story:
1:The Way of Perfection
2: The Interior Castle.
3: Conceptions of the Love of God.

Teresa is revered as one of great mystics THE Church has ever had.
 She died on 4th October 1582 and her body has reportedly remained incorrupt, surrounded with a fragrant fluid.
She was glorified by many miracles both before and after her death.
In 1622, Pope Gregory XV enrolled her among the number of saints.
Pope Paul VI proclaimed Saint Teresa a Doctor of the Church in the year 1970.
Saint Teresa of Avila
Pray for us!

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Transverberation:
The Mystical wounding of the Hearts of Saints.

Saint Teresa was the recipient of the extraordinary piercing of heart.
This was proved after her death, when her heart was found to have been pierced.

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Imagine this.
As a little girl in her parent’s home, Teresa , with her brother Rodrigo , who was near the same age, took great pleasure in reading the lives of saints. She spent a lot of time with the saints. The two of them decided that martyrdom was an easy way to get to heaven. The seven year old Teresa and her brother set out to come to Africa where they would be summarily beheaded by the Moors. When they reached the city gate, they met one of their uncles who took them back home immediately.
Disappointed in their hopes of martyrdom, the two resolved to become hermits in their father’s garden, but they could never get enough stones together to build their huts!
Be Blessed!